90.01 Purpose

Section 90 presents general information on safety procedures to help prevent accidents. It also contains specific information on pump station hazards, elec-trical and mechanical equipment hazards, fire protection, bacterial infection, procedures for handling hazardous chemicals, and safety equipment. A list of recommended safety references is included at the end of the chapter.

Statistics show that the accident rate for wastewater treatment facilities is well above that of industry in general. Accidents are usually caused by carelessness, hazardous conditions, or a combination of the two, and can have effects ranging from simple annoyance to death. Accidents can damage equipment, personal property, and environmental quality. Accident prevention programs strive to reduce physical hazards and eliminate human carelessness.

Approximately 15 percent of all accidents can be attributed to unsafe conditions or physical hazards. All personnel should be on the alert for unsafe conditions and either correct them immediately or report them by way of an Unsafe Condition Report to your supervisor. The following unsafe conditions are often found in wastewater treatment plants and should be corrected when noted:

1. Lack of safety devices on a particular piece of equipment
2. Ineffective safety devices
3. Defective equipment, tools, or machines
4. Improper illumination
5. Improper ventilation
6. Improper clothing for the particular job being performed
7. Poor housekeeping, leading to congested aisles or walkways
8. Cluttered areas
9. Materials such as oil or water on floors or walkways (Note: Polymer is especially slippery when wet)

Other conditions that should be eliminated include high noise levels, faulty equipment design, and faulty or poor equipment construction and/or maintenance.

Approximately 85 percent of all accidents result from unsafe acts, such as the following examples:

1. Failure to use protective equipment (PPE)
2. Failure to install provided equipment guards
3. Failure to recognize and avoid sharp and slippery objects
4. Improper lifting (use your legs and not your back)
5. Use of loose or improper grip on objects
6. Use of improper tools or equipment for a job
7. Hazardous movement such as running, jumping, stepping on or climbing over an object, throwing tools or equipment, and horseplay

Good safety training and instilling proper attitudes in employees can prevent these unsafe acts.

Other factors contribute to accidents and should be recognized and corrected. These factors include the following:

1. Inadequate safety instructions and training
2. Failure to enforce safety rules
3. Poor safety planning
4. Infrequent supervisor-employee communication regarding safety
5. Failure to correct noted hazards
6. Failure to provide necessary safety devices

1. Observe all written and verbal safety rules and be aware of the particular hazards surrounding your job.
   
   
2. Do not start a task until you have received and fully understand the instructions.
   
   
3. Immediately correct or report to your supervisor any hazardous conditions, unsafe equipment, or unsafe work-ing practice.
   
   
4. Report all injuries or accidents by way of a Minor Injury Report to your supervisor.
   
   
5. Drink only from water fountains. All other water sources within the plant should be considered unsafe to drink.
   
   
6. Do not run. Watch for and avoid slippery or congested areas.
   
   
7. Do not ride on or operate any moving equipment unless it is part of your job and you have been instructed in its use.
   
   
8. When operating moving equipment, observe all traffic signs, speed limits, and parking regulations.
   
   
9. Do not wear loose clothing or carry rags in your pockets. Cloth may become caught in equipment and cause personal injury.
   
   
10. Use protective equipment (PPE) such as goggles, hard hats, gloves, and respirators, whenever warranted or required by the tasks.
    
    
11. Do not operate any equipment unless all safety guards and safety devices designed for that equipment are in place, except as permitted in written maintenance or emergency operation procedures.
    
    
12. Lock out equipment before cleaning debris from moving parts.
    
    
13. If it is necessary to remove safety devices, handrails, manhole covers, or related items, warn fellow employees.
    
    
14. Keep all tools in good repair and ensure that you use tools appropriate to the work being performed.
    
    
15. Do not pass under or work beneath fellow employees unless a task requires doing so. Never enter a wet well, tank, or basin until all precautions have been taken to ensure safety.
    
    
16. Practice good housekeeping. Immediately clean up any grease, oil, or hydraulic fluid that may have spilled or leaked from the equipment. Do not use gasoline to clean up oil and grease. Keep all passageways, aisles, stairs, and exits clear of tools, equipment, and other materials.
    
    
17. Do not consider a job finished until you have made conditions as safe as possible for the next person.

90.03 Proper Handling Practices

In operating and maintaining wastewater treatment facilities, many types of materials and objects are handled. Use proper safety equipment, espe-cially when handling heavy or bulky items such as pipe, manhole covers, and spare parts. The following general rules should be followed to avoid injury to hands and fingers:

1. Visually inspect the item for metal slivers, jagged edges, burrs, and rough or slippery surfaces.
2. Keep hands clean of oil, grease, or water, which may prevent a firm grip.
3. Wipe off greasy, wet, slippery, or dirty objects before han-dling them.
4. Use gloves as necessary.
5. Get a firm grip on the object before trying to lift it.
6. Keep fingers away from any points where they could be pinched or crushed, especially when settling an object down.
7. When handling pipes or other long objects, keep hands away from the ends to prevent them from being pinched or crushed.

90.04 Proper Lifting

Back injuries are common on the job. Such injuries are often caused by lifting. The following fundamental lifting practices should be followed to avoid back injury:

1. Consider the size, weight, and shape of the object to be lifted. Do not lift more than you can handle comfort-ably. If necessary, get help from other personnel or from a mechanical lifting device.
2. Make sure that you have solid footing. Usually, the most effective position for lifting an object is obtained if one foot is slightly ahead of the other. Place your feet far enough apart for good balance and stability. It may be necessary to go down almost to the floor on one knee; however, do not go into a full squatting position. Straight-ening up from a full squat requires almost twice as much effort as straightening up from a crouching position.
3. Get as close to the load to be lifted as possible. Bend the legs about 90 degrees at the knees.
4. Keep the back as straight as possible. Bending from the hips is permissible, but the back should never be arched.
5. Get a firm grip that can be maintained while both lifting and carrying the object.
6. To lift the object, straighten your legs while swinging your back into a vertical position.
7. Avoid twisting the body while lifting.
8. Never carry a load that you cannot see over or around. When setting the object down, reverse the above procedures, being especially careful not to arch the back.

Personnel safety is a primary consideration when operating and/or servicing electrical equipment. It is not advisable for the operator to attempt repairs to electrical switch-gear or wiring. There is always an element of danger present when electrical equipment is being repaired; the help of specialists should be obtained when electrical problems develop.

General precautions that should be taken when working on electrical systems include:

1. Disconnect electrical equipment from its power source before working on it.
2. Equipment being worked on should be locked in the OFF position and appropriately tagged at the unit and at the motor control center to warn against accidental start.
3. Allow only authorized people to work on electrical equipment and repairs.
4. Never use metal ladders around electrical equipment.
5. Keep rubber mats on the floor in front of electrical panels.

90.06 Fire Extinguishing Equipment

Personnel who come into contact with wastewater must protect themselves from the potential hazards of several waterborne diseases, the most serious of which include typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, dysentery, infectious jaundice, polio, and various intestinal infections. Tetanus and various skin infections must also be guarded against. To do this, the following safeguards and preventive measures should be taken:

1. Employees should never drink from any source other than a water fountain or a water cooler. All other water should be considered contaminated.
2. No cut or scratch should be considered too minor for treatment. A fully stocked first aid kit should be maintained to treat minor cuts and scratches. Major cuts should receive the attention of a physician.
3. Protective apparel (PPE), such as rubberized cotton gloves, rubber boots, or rubber suits, should be worn in places like manholes or pump stations where employees cannot avoid contact with wastewater.
4. Employees may be immunized for diseases such as typhoid and tetanus at intervals recommended by a qualified physician.
5. While at work in sewers or pump stations or at other duties requiring close contact with wastewater or sludge, employees should "keep the hands below the collar."
6. Employees who have come in contact with wastewater or sludge should wash their hands with hot water and soap, especially before eating, smoking, or using lavatory facilities.
7. For fieldwork, a first aid kit should be supplied in the service truck and waterless hand soaps should be provided.
8. Employees should always exercise good judgment in maintaining proper hygiene.

90.09 Confined Spaces

Manholes, pump stations, and digesters are susceptible to buildup of toxic/noxious vapors such as hydrogen sulfide and methane and to oxygen displacement by steam or gases such as carbon dioxide. Before entering these areas, the air should be checked with properly calibrated portable atmospheric detector for both toxic and combustible gases. Non-sparking tools should be used if there is a possibility of an accumulation of explosive gases. Forced air ventilation should also be provided.

This section provides general information on personal safety equipment (PPE) and guidelines for use. The safety equipment used will vary according to the situation and the equipment manufacturer. With each type of safety equipment, the applicable instructions should be reviewed and observed. Each individual piece of safety equipment should be inspected routinely to make sure that it is in perfect operating condition. If defects are noted, the item should be removed from service until replacement parts have been obtained and installed.

Whenever the use of safety equipment is indicated, personnel should do so, rather than risk injury or death. Although wearing safety equipment may be cumbersome and uncomfortable, this discomfort is trivial compared to the injury that may occur if the equipment is not worn.

The following items of safety equipment are recommended for use in hazardous situations. All equipment should have UL approval for use in hazardous areas.

• At least one fire extinguisher for each facility building
• Adequate hearing protection for all staff working in noisy areas
• One safety harness, with at least 75 feet of rope spliced onto the harness
• One portable oxygen/toxic or explosive gas analyzer capable of detecting O2, H2S, and percent LEL.
• One portable blower with hose attachments for ventilating manholes, wet and dry wells, digesters, and tanks. This blower is available through Westside.
• Several pairs of chemical goggles or face shields
• One fully equipped first aid kit for each building
• Overalls, rubber shoes, goggles, hardhats, and gloves (PPE)
• Traffic warning signs, barricades, and flashers for manhole work

90.10.a Gas Masks

Use of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) not applicable.

90.10.b Gloves

Various gloves are available for hand protection in diverse situations. The most commonly used glove is the leather work glove, which provides protection when sharp or irregularly shaped objects are handled. This kind of glove also affords some protection against burns, but is not as suitable as zetex gloves for handling extremely hot objects. To prevent direct contact between the hand and wastewater or sludge, vinyl or neoprene-covered cotton gloves are preferred. Gloves made of pure rubber should be used to handle acids and alkalines. Special electrical hazard gloves should be available for the maintenance electrician.

The neoprene glove offers all of the advantages of the rubber glove in addition to being resistant to oils, greases, and solvents. A disposable polyethylene glove, designed mainly for laboratory or very light-duty use, is also available but should not be used in other applications.

90.10.c Safety Glasses and Face Shields

Eye protection devices include specially hardened prescription glasses, lightweight plastic glasses, shatterproof plastic goggles, or shatterproof face shields. The selection of the device should be dictated in part by the operation to be performed. Plastic goggles may offer more protection than glasses or face shields do, since they cover the entire eye area. Some shatterproof plastic goggles are also designed so that they can be worn over regular prescription glasses. The face shield, designed so that it can also be worn over regular prescription glasses, also protects the entire face from splatters.

90.10.d Rubber Boots

Rubber boots protect feet and ankles by preventing direct contact with wastewater or sludge. The boots are designed with a non-skid or non-slip soles, to reduce the likelihood of falls on wet or slippery surfaces. Some rubber boots are also equipped with a steel toe plate that provides protec-tion in case a heavy object falls on the feet.

90.10.e Neoprene-Impregnated Clothes

Neoprene-impregnated clothes (or rainsuits) protect the wearer's skin from direct contact with wastewater or sludge. These suits, composed of trousers and jacket, should be worn whenever entering a manhole, pump station, wet well, or other area where contact with wastewater is probable.

90.10.f Hardhats

Knowledge of first aid is paramount to the health and safety of treatment plant personnel. First aid equipment and training materials are described in this section. First aid procedures for electrical shock, a hazard common to wastewater treatment facilities, is also described in this section. This section should NOT be considered a substitute for first aid training.

90.11.a First Aid Equipment

First aid equipment includes first aid kits, stretchers, blankets, showers, eyewash stations, and other items. Wall-mounted first aid kits are located throughout the plant at clearly marked locations. The first aid kits shall be checked on a regular basis (monthly) by a member of the safety committee and the first aid supplies replenished. A wide variety of wall-mounted first aid kits may be obtained. Each City vehicle is equipped with first aid kit, fire extinguisher and road kit.

Eyewash stations are provided at key outside locations. These facilities are provided for emergency washing of acid, dangerous chemicals, or other irritants from the eyes and body. These facilities shall be tested monthly by a member of the safety committee to ensure their performance when needed.

A stretcher is located within the maintenance shop area to be used in an emergency. Blankets are also stored with the stretcher. Supervisors should see that all employees know where these materials are stored.

90.11.b Training

Although prevention is the keystone of any safety program, such a program is not complete without first aid training for all personnel. This shall be provided to all personnel every 3 years. Specific safety topics may be suggested by articles in the newspaper or trade journals. Formal training is provided monthly by USFOS Vancouver and programs are available from vendors, the Red Cross and the Water Pollution Control Federation. As a minimum, all personnel should receive yearly training in CPR techniques and periodic training in handling of life-threatening situations such as uncontrolled bleeding, traumatic shock, and poisoning.

90.11.d First Aid for Electric Shock

Treatment for Electric Shock Victims:

1. Separate the victim from the voltage source.
   
   Open the switch or circuit breaker if its location is nearby and known. Otherwise, use rubber gloves, a dry wood board, wood pole, blanket or the victim's own clothing (if not wet or damp) to pull him/her free. Do not allow any part of your body to make contact with the victim's body.
   
   
2. If the victim is not breathing, start mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately.
   
   Even though no pulse is detected, and a condition similar to rigor mortis may be present, the victim may still be alive. DO NOT stop mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until a medical doctor pronounces the victim to be dead. Electric shock victims have been revived after over 8 hours of artificial respiration.
   
   
3. Call for medical help as soon as possible.

Rescue Breathing:

1. Place victim on back; lift neck and tilt head all the way back; clear mouth of any obstruction.
2. Pinch nose and blow through mouth; look to see that victim's chest expands.
3. If chest does not expand, turn the victim on his side and strike several sharp blows between the shoulder blades using the palm of your hand. Recheck the mouth for obstruction and resume blowing.
4. Inflate 12 times per minute without interruption.

90.12 Emergency Telephone Numbers

Telephone numbers for the following should be posted at each phone:

90.13 Accident Reports

All nonsubmerged portions of equipment shall be painted the same color as the process piping it serves, except as itemized below:

90.15 Ultraviolet Disinfection System Safety

90.15.a General Precautions

Each lamp in the UV module is a powerful source of ultraviolet light. UV light can cause serious damage to unprotected eyes and skin, but is safe when proper precautions are taken. The best protection is to prevent exposure to UV light. The UV modules present to health threat when submerged and in their supportive racks. Whenever working with an open source of UV light, gloves, long sleeves and a UV face shield shall be worn.

Ordinary eye glasses do not provide protection. Neither are safety glasses with plastic lenses or goggles that do not cover the entire face. No part of the body shall be exposed to UV light.

• Always install lamps and lamp racks in secure areas
• Do not attempt to override any automatic interlocks, shields or safety devices
• Practice lock out tag out (control of hazardous energy) when working on the system
• Obey all warning, caution and danger labels, tags and signs
• Keep fingers and clothing away from fans
• Keep exhaust and intake ducts and screens free from obstructions

• Power Distribution Centers - PDC's are 480 VAC, 60 Hz, 3-phase with significantly higher voltages at the ballast outputs
• Always lock PDC doors to prevent unauthorized adjustments or tampering
• Troubleshooting shall be performed only by properly trained personnel
• Turn off the appropriate circuit breakers before:
  • Uncoupling power connectors
  • Opening terminal boxes
  • Removing ballasts
  • Servicing components on the upper mounting plate
  • Servicing components within the PDC

• Always handle the lamps and the sleeves with care to prevent breakage.
• Be prepared with safe clean-up procedures after lamp breakage. Wear safety goggles and gloves. Sweep breakage into dustpan, bag and dispose of properly.

• Make sure UV radiation signs are posted
• Install channel cover(s) before turning on any lamp rack
• Any person operating, servicing or observing this UV system shall wear a protective face shield, long sleeves and gloves

See separate standard operating procedure for cleaning procedures. Refer to any associated MSDS.

In the event of lamp breakage:

• Ensure that clean-up material (e.g., vacuum, dust pan and broom, filter masks) is available to immediately transfer any material recovered from the breakage to a container
• Immediately transfer any broken material to a closed container
• Ensure proper PPE is worn i.e., safety glasses, gloves and filter mask

90.16 Safety References

The American Red Cross. Text Book on First Aid. Washington, D.C.

American Water Works Association. Safety Practice for Water Utilities. Manual No. 1983.

Burt, G.L. Developing a Successful Safety Program. JWPCF, 36:636. May 1964.

Chlorine Institute, Inc. Chlorine Manual New York. 1971.

Dixon, F.R. and L.J. McCage. Health Aspects of Waste-water Treatment. JWPCF, 36:984. August 1964.

Mann, U.T. Safety in Sewer and Treatment Plant Operations. JWPCF, 35:636. February 1963.

National Safety Council. Accident Prevention Manual for Industrial Operations. 7th ed. Chicago, Illinois. 1974.

Report of 1967 Wastewater System Employee Safety Program Survey. JWPCF, 40:766. May 1968.

State of New Jersey. Motor Vehicle Code n.d.

Vrooman, M., Jr. Designing WTP for Safety. JWPCF 41:474. March 1969.

U.S. Department of Labor. Municipal Employees Safety Program. Bureau of Labor Standards. Washington, D.C.

U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational and Health Standards--1978.

U.S. EPA. Safety in the Operation and Maintenance of Wastewater Treatment Works. Technical Bulletin No. 68-01-0324.

Water Pollution Control Federation. Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants. Manual of Practice No. 11. Washington, D.C. 1976.

Water Pollution Control Federation. Safety in Waste-water Works. Manual of Practice No. 11. 1969.

Weller, L.W. Experience in Providing for Safety Aspects in Treatment Plant Design. JWPCF 41:122. January 1969.